Chapter 49
Disclaimer: I do not own Alien/Predator series or any characters and may not follow all customs and cultures found in Alien/Predator movies.
A'stea grumbled at the constant checkups from S'aha every hour or so. Taking blood for testing . . . checking her breathing . . . the color of her skin and other c'jit . . . It was like this since she woke up yesterday. Frustration would be putting it mildly in her book.
"There we go. You can have your arm back."
She brought to her and flexed it a little, trying to get her muscles working. She hated that she still felt weak and sore. Then again . . . I did almost die.
"Are we finished?" A'stea asked.
"Almost. I want to check your wound and then we'll be done."
She rolled her eyes but complied anyway. She lifted her shirt and let S'aha have a look at her hip. Although the poison is almost completely out of her system, it left a burning sensation at the entry wound and a weblike scar was left behind.
"Looks good." S'aha stood up. "Get some more rest and we'll bring some food."
A'stea smiled. "Thank you."
S'aha left after that, leaving A'stea alone. She sat on the edge of the bed, exhausted by everything that had happened within a week . . . especially with her relationship with Kaail. She still hasn't forgiven him for being an idiot and not listening to her commands. It's not like she wanted to control him . . . but to teach him a lesson in patience and always keep a keen eye. I failed in that department.
She heard someone peeking from behind the tent and groaned. "I know you're there. No point in hiding now."
From the corner, Fi'ka comes inside with a wary look. She knew what her friend was here for and she wasn't in the mood for it. She turned away. "You already know my answer."
"I understand . . . but you can't be angry with him forever."
"I told him to listen." She bit her lip. "And he acted like a selfish bastard who almost got killed if I hadn't intervened."
"A'stea . . ."
Fi'ka sits on the edge of her bed but A'stea refuses to move, looking into the distance . . . anything to prevent eye contact. She heard Fi'ka sighed in frustration. "You have the right to be angry but when he saw you dying, he did everything he could to save you. Hell . . . He even went to the mountain and returned with grievous injuries."
She paused. "I could see the pain in his eyes. He feared losing you . . . He might even love you. Is that not worth anything?"
A'stea popped her head, thinking of her words before slowly turning to her. Love me?
Despite wanting to be angry, Fi'ka had made a point. Everything she heard after waking up was confirmed through rumors around the hideout. Even many Hish warriors began to convert their loyalties towards her and Kaail . . . but part of her anger was also from the members going behind her back and got a ship without her. Some part of her felt she was losing something . . . but also gained another.
All because of Kaail.
A'stea sighed, laying down on the bed with her. "I'll think about it."
When she heard Fi'ka wanting to say more, she grunted for her to stop. She complied and with great reluctance, she left. A'stea closed her eyes and thought of her nightmares but also remembered hearing Kaail's voice and even holding his hand.
Maybe . . . just maybe . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
After a few hours, she decided to go outside and clear her head. Although she was still weak and it was dark outside, she loved the fresh air and the cold on her skin. It was a relief she needed after it felt like months that her body was on fire. She moved to a small part of the jungle nearby, ignoring the ache of her body as she sat down on the ground with her eyes closed.
A minute passed before she heard the rustling of leaves from a nearby bush. Her chest tightened at the anticipation. "You came."
She turns around and sees Kaail coming from the shadows, a little wary than she expected. She gave a message to him so that they can talk or else she'll be hearing it from Fi'ka all day, despite not being ready. He was hunched back and his walking posture was a little off. She noticed his scars over his body, especially his arm despite being in a slit. But his eyes were showed the most. The red glow he had dimmed under the darkness and seemed tired. It was the first time seeing him like this. It must have been painful . . . whatever he went through.
"A'stea . . . you seem better."
She bobbed her head. "Better than the last couple of days. But I also had a lot to think about."
Both were silent, looking away for a moment. She sighed deeply when she grew impatient, waiting for his response. She decided to take the first step in getting this conversation going. "You know why I called you here."
He lowered his gaze. "I know you're angry with me."
"And why is that?" She crossed her arms and stared him down. A Hish would have retaliated verbally to such a small sign of disrespect but not Kaail. He merely submitted, which took her by some small bit of surprise.
"You got hurt by my mistake . . . and I should have known better. I didn't mean to—"
"That's not the reason . . . not the main one."
Kaail lifted his head in shock. His mandibles tapped each other nervously. "I don't . . . understa—"
"Of course you don't!"
A'stea stomped to him but then halted at a few feet away from him, watching him prepare for an attack. But she didn't have the strength nor the will to execute it. It wasn't the point. If he's going to understand, he needs to learn through talking rather than physical punishment. She growled in her throat, pacing back and forth for a while.
"You went into the Hunt like you were some all high and mighty warrior who thought he was invincible. All I saw was a crazy beast who thought of nothing of himself!"
Her body started to strain and she stopped. Given that she was still recovering, the pain came back worse than she expected. She hissed, stopping in her spot. She can see that Kaail wanted to come and comfort her but strained himself.
"You're . . ." She swallowed deeply. "Better than this."
Kaail shook his head. "I . . . wanted to impress you. I thought that if you saw how strong I was, then you would see me better than . . ." He couldn't finish his sentence. The guilt in him was unbearable.
You're no better than the Amengi!
Her voice from that time repeated in his head. He didn't want to be like that in her eyes. After everything, he didn't want her to feel like she couldn't trust him. He wanted to show her otherwise. And so, he looked at her for a second before he fell slowly to his knees, raising his hands to the sides and bowing his head in a submissive way.
A'stea couldn't believe what she was seeing. "What are you doing?"
"I deserve punishment. It is my fault you suffered. You have the right to hurt me." It was the only thing he could think of that would make things better. It was all that he knew that might make things up. Be punished for your crimes.
She shook her head, watching his small form below him. She watched him for a moment until she went on her knees. His head poked up in shock but froze when she pressed her hands on his cheeks.
"This isn't right. I don't want to punish you . . . because this is not the right way."
He tilted his head in confusion.
A'stea sighed. "You don't bow to no one . . . ever. If we are to mend our bond, we have to see each other as equals. You never give up no matter what. Fight until you can't and even then you keep going."
She never believed in submission like this. It went against everything she believed and fought for but she couldn't blame Kaail for his reaction. It was all he knew about . . . maybe throughout all of his life. Still, she saw the insecurity in his red eyes.
A'stea pressed her lips together. "Is it . . . because of Nu'kha?"
His head lowered in shame.
"Are you jealous?"
She waited until Kaail nodded his head. His voice was strained while his dreadlocks grazed her cheeks and back of her neck. "Yes . . ."
She shook her head against him and then pulled back. Her eyes sought him, seeing the pain in his eyes but not from the physical injuries . . . the emotional ones. He must have found out somehow . . . Of course, they would. No one shuts their mouths up.
A'stea sighed. "Look. Nu'kha and I were together at some point but that ended long ago. It didn't work out for various reasons but we're still friends . . . nothing more."
"Why?" Kaail finally spoke. "Why did you break up with him?"
A'stea bit her lip for a second, lowering her head to the floor for a second. "He saw me as something to protect all the time, thinking I would break at any instigation. I didn't like it and I had enough."
She paused, looking back into his red eyes. "But you're different." She raised his face by the cheeks, rubbing her thumb on a mandible. "You respect me. You see me as who I am and I can tell that you care very much for me. You don't have to compare yourself to Nu'kha . . . because you are you."
Kaail's eyes widened in surprise. Her words were not what she expected. Never bow to anyone. . . Equals . . . He never thought of it like that or at least he didn't notice. She smiled softly to him, bringing her forehead on his and closed his eyes. He immediately purred in response, wrapping his arm around her.
"And I thank you for doing all of this for me. I appreciate it very much."
Kaail purred deeper, rubbing his cheeks on hers. But then he pulls away from her. A'stea was about to say something until he pulled something from his pocket. It was a large tooth . . . of the size of her forearm at least. That's huge! He brought it between them, showing her.
"I took this from the beast of the mountain. It's the reason why many Hish has disappeared but I thought I didn't want to waste the kill."
She looked at it for a minute until she smiled. "You followed my teachings."
Kaail smiled. "I have a great teacher."
A'stea bobbed her head. "How did you manage to kill it? I only heard a few things."
"Well . . . I'm just as surprised as you are. Fi'ka gave me a mask and metal gauntlet but I didn't expect the mask to have some 'plasma caster'."
"Plasma caster?" She squinted her eyes.
"Yeah. It blasted the beast's mouth into pieces."
A'stea hid her hands in her face, realizing what he meant. "I can't believe Fi'ka gave you the prototype." She saw Kaail tilt his head and she tightened her lips together. "It's hard to explain right now."
She grabbed the tooth from him and looked over it. "We're going to have to make something of this later. I can . . ."
She stopped when she looked at him yet again. His red eyes stared deeply into her. The need behind them was too much not to ignore. Before she could do anything, Kaail pressed his mouth on her roughly, leaving a few scratches on his cheeks from his tusks. It mattered little to A'stea. The physical and emotional sensation it brought took over her mind.
She kissed back, grabbing his face until pulling him down with her, wrapping her legs around his waist. He groaned in her mouth and deepened the kiss as an unknown strength kept his arm from collapsing and then crushing her. Their hearts pounding together, urging their bodies to heat up more than the twin suns. Her hand reached for her back when he moved his mouth down to the crook of her neck, hissing when his forked tongue began to work on her. She fought the urge to moan but he was making it difficult. A warm sensation grew between her legs and she could have sworn that she felt a hard bulge rub on her hips.
"We . . ." She tried to speak between breaths, moaning. "We have to be careful."
He ignored her for the moment, relishing the taste of her soft skin. His tongue lashed out and lapped a bit of sweat that was there. It was like a banquet he couldn't get enough of.
"Kaail."
A'stea pulled him back to her with a jerk on his dreadlocks. He growled at the painful sensation but clamped his mouth and mandibles together when he saw her looking serious despite breathing harshly.
"If we're going to be together . . . we have to be careful . . ."
Kaail paused, stunned. "You . . . want to be mates?"
At first, she looked like she was debating on it. But then she smiled. "In time . . . but we have to focus on the Rebellion. And when we are free . . . then maybe . . ."
He stopped her from speaking, pressing his forehead on her with a smile. She didn't have to explain anymore. He already knew and the delight from that thought was giving him renewed energy. "I know . . . I know."
With that, A'stea giggled before pulling him back for another kiss. It didn't matter who was watching . . . and they didn't care. This moment was theirs . . . and theirs alone.
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"What do we have here?"
Master S'wqua stood over the carcass of a black beast that was so large that it took most of the space in the storage space. During the patrol search, one of his guards caught sight of this dead beast lying on the side of the mountain. He ordered them to bring it to him so he could see what they were talking about. As soon as he realized what it was, he went on a rant.
"All our work and someone had the audacity to kill it!" He punched a nearby wall, scaring a few Amengi guards nearby. "Another potential secret from the Engineers gone to waste! After all the research we put into it!"
"It doesn't matter now." Master Thu'at grunted. "What we should be asking is how and who killed it. From its wounds, it died from some blast in the throat."
He inched closer to the body and poked it, breaking a vein that squirted black blood. He turned away in disgust. "I don't like this one bit."
"What do you mean?" Master S'wqua commented.
"This blast . . . it's familiar. Looks like it was created from a plasma blast like from one of our handguns. Was it one of ours?"
"No, it can't be. No one was near the area until a few hours later. This has been dead for quite some time." Master S'wqua stood and paced back and forth. "This is bad."
"Why?" Master Thu'at grunted. "You think it was the Rebellion?"
"What else could it be!? The servants keep disappearing . . . the weapon we had weeks ago was stolen . . . and now the guards and warriors are starting to question our authority! They might be gaining power with our stolen technology and influencing others with it! It won't be long before we lose control!"
"Calm down." Master Thu'at hissed. "They are only rumors and we don't know anything. No use jumping to conclusions . . . not yet anyway."
"Then what do you suggest?" Master S'wqua stomped his foot, crossing his arms.
Master Thu'at smirked. "I've already had an idea for a while and have implemented it. He's a good source and influential in the warrior class."
He hisses towards the door and it opens slowly with someone coming in. Master S'wqua clicked his insect tusks in warning as he noticed it was a Hish . . . but not any Hish. The male came in and stopped on the edge of the shadow.
"Good for you to join us. Have you any information?"
Master Thu'at waited until the male spoke quietly, giving something that might turn the tide in their favor.
"It's about the ooman."
Hi everyone!
I love that they made up and we know why she's angry with Kaail in the first place. A great lesson to teach him that he should never give up fighting . . . a lesson that many future generations will adopt (if you know what I mean . . .)
Now, they are gathering forces to fight but nothing is ever so simple. The masters are starting to realize that there's a chance the Hish might be stronger than them (scary . . . good ;))
But who is this Hish that is helping them? What connections does this mysterious being have to the Rebellion? And what does he know of A'stea?
Who could it be? Some guesses you might have . . . Hmmm.
Find out when Chapter 50 comes Monday (but debatable since I'm trying to work out a writer's block with this story. Hate it so much!) But more chapters will come . . . and much more. *Smooch* :D
Thank you for the reviews (Anonymous-E, Mariah, NeverNeverLady, IanAlphaAxel, and Larita1976 (and I thank you for still reading the story :))! They are very important for me and I hope I see more readers posting as well. All opinions are welcomed. I hope you keep on reading! ;)
And thank you for your support. :)
Happy Hunting! :))))